Lennox community face 'David and Goliath' battle

17th May 2017 7:45 AM

THE sleepy Lennox Head surfing hamlet is waking up to what they call an almighty fight against the State Government and Office of Sport.

A large group of the local residents have been protesting the development of a 12-storey ski jump - a development that dwarfs all local and regional buildings, given the two-storey building limit in Lennox Head and surrounds.

The jump is planned to be constructed at the Lennox Head Sport and Rec Camp where it will loom out of an otherwise pristine coastline, residents say.

The jump would be made available to a number of elite athletes a year.

A protest event has been organised by local action group: Lennox Head Against the Ski Jump (LHATSJ) on Saturday May 27 at 2.30pm; starting at Williams Reserve.

Michelle Shearer, spokesperson of LHATSJ, said:

"In the main, the community is united against this wildly inappropriate development.

"We are dismayed that despite strong community opposition, Council are unable to respond and now, because this is a Crown development, the Joint Regional Planning Panel is unable to refuse it either.

"The decision could ultimately be made by Planning minister Anthony Roberts.

"The protest walk has been organised so that the community can come together as a show of resistance to this crazy idea - and let the Minister of Planning, Office of Sport and Olympic Winter Institute of Australia know that locals and visitors do not want this blight on this pristine coastline."

Lennox Head Against the Ski Jump has a Facebook page with reach over 30,000 and an online petition of well over 1,200 signatures.